Let's say... a year or two, but not much of that spent in the city itself (mostly around its surrounding outposts etc.).

On the dilemma as to having the "unofficial language" of the steam kingdoms vs the "trade-speak" of the same as the party tongue: could we say that somebody speaking one can make themselves understood to someone speaking the other, but that you'll engender a small disposition penalty if you try using one where people would generally use the other? (i.e. attracting opinions along the lines of "high-falutin' city folk talkin' down to us" vs "yokels with thick accents and coarse uneducated expressions"). Trading argots do usually base themselves primarily on the local majority language, after all.

Yeah, I had thought of the Trade speak more along the lines of a pidgin language between Steam-Talk and Hugelsprach, so one could theoretically make oneself understood by a speaker of either. (Human farmers need to speak to dwarven and pech merchants anyhow)

Hey, I've tweaked my character with languages and interests in the original "idea for a game thread", not sure how to stick a picture in but I have one if someone could let me know. Sorry about being (relatively quiet) -I've had a busy end to the week!

Also @Iprophet, Elias will have been in Chataya for about a year. He knows the city well enough but is discovering new aspects of it all the time.

Firstly, I think The Box has been in the city about a year. Long enough for rumours of the odd unborn to spread, for the urban myth to be seen by more and more people, for the myth to become a nuisance, and eventually for enough of the public to complain (20 reputation) to the council. Being burried in a trunk is kinda a negative favour.

So...we are going with rust talk and steam talk being able to get a message across? Reminds me of a anecdote in Jared Diamond's "Collapse" where Jared, an English speaker, apologises to a man for "push im your wife" poor Jared, the man was very angry. Anyway, foundation to pidgin can cause terrible misunderstandings. Could be treated like Aloof? or Reviled?

Hey, I've tweaked my character with languages and interests in the original "idea for a game thread", not sure how to stick a picture in but I have one if someone could let me know. Sorry about being (relatively quiet) -I've had a busy end to the week!

Also @Iprophet, Elias will have been in Chataya for about a year. He knows the city well enough but is discovering new aspects of it all the time.

How long do Saurians usually live? (Crocodiles seem to average around 75 years with 115 being a record. Or are they more Drake/Dragon-ish with some (lucky/skilled) individuals living for the better part of a millenia though most meet their demise through violence inside a couple of centuries.)

Mikhailovskoe Kravchinsky Kropotkinyvich hatched around 20 years ago, in [town name], a modest sized trading town not far off a trade route running southeast from it's pass in the [world name of Sierra Madre mountains] through the desert highlands towards the Elven lands to the south.

One of six in his creche group. [More to follow, I'm off for the day.]

Don't mean to intrude, but if any of you are having difficulty finding pictures you're welcome to make use of a collection of fantasy art I've been building for several months. It has almost 1000 pictures so presumably at least one of you ought to find something of use.